Byron Scott: College basketball is more physical than the NBA

Confused by a foul called against one of his players over the weekend, Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott said that college basketball has become more physical than the NBA.

During the Lakers' 88-87 win over the Indiana Pacers Sunday night, a flagrant 1 was called against Carlos Boozer for a hard shove on Indiana center Roy Hibbert. Hibbert was knocked to the floor, and after getting up, he confronted Boozer and the two had to be separated. Hibbert received a technical foul, while Boozer drew the flagrant 1.

That wasn't an appropriate reaction, according to Scott.

“I asked all three referees to explain to me what a flagrant foul is from now, because I have no clue, I really don’t,” Scott told ESPN Los Angeles.

Scott, a veteran of the Lakers’ dynasty years of the 1980s, then said college basketball has become “much more physical” than the NBA.

“My assessment of a flagrant foul is anything above the shoulder -- not necessarily going for the ball -- but anytime you hit a guy above the shoulder, that’s supposed to be a flagrant foul,” he said. “So like I said, I have no clue what a flagrant foul is. Ed [Davis] got hit above the shoulders the other night, so I don’t know.”

Scott wasn’t alone in his confusion. Lakers star Kobe Bryant also had questions.

“I wonder what the league is coming to when that’s a flagrant foul. It’s a shame that has to be a flagrant," Bryant said. "It’s a foul. It’s a technical foul, maybe. That’s about it. But a flagrant foul? My goodness.

“That might not have even been a foul when Byron was playing. The game has changed a lot."

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